Oscar winner De Niro forks out $8.2m in late tax fees

Robert De Niro has proven his mega-star status by cutting a handwritten cheque to the US taxman – for a cool $8.2 million.

The US actor was forced to fork out the staggeringly high amount for late tax fees, the New York Post reports. 

Initial reports claimed the two-time Academy Award winner is too busy spending his Hollywood earnings on film products, restaurants and property to pay his US$6.4 million Internal Revenue Service (IRS) bill.

However a spokesperson for the Tribeca Film Festival co-founder said the overdue notices had been sent to an old addres and once he was told about the fees "had a (cheque) for the full amount hand delivered to the IRS this morning.”